Signalling & Communications

Thales commissions a new railway signalling generation in Portugal

A 45km project connecting two stations already equipped with different Thales signalling technologies, had as its main intervention targets, the Belmonte station and the Caria, Maçainhas, Benespera and Sabugal stops.

THALES says it has successfully completed the commissioning of the new electronic signalling system, installed at Beira Baixa Line, between Covilhã and Guarda stations, thus concluding a long-awaited project with high strategic interest for the national railway infrastructure.

This project, with length of about 45km, connecting two stations already equipped with different Thales signalling technologies, had as its main intervention targets, the Belmonte station and the Caria, Maçainhas, Benespera and Sabugal stops.

With this milestone, Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP) achieved the completion of what will be the only alternative of Beira Alta Line, allowing in this regard to create an important redundancy in the North International Corridor, which today is undoubtedly the main railway channel with the neighbour country.

For Thales, it was a huge challenge, not because of its extent, but because it was the opportunity to implement a new generation of electronic interlocking with object controllers and the introduction of a new train detection technology, by the use of Thales Track Circuits.